Numbchux

Other than step 1, I do none of this. Never had a crack, never had a leak. New steel, old metric steel, new NiCo....The only flares I've had to re-do were because I forgot the flare nut. The inline flaring tool is a huge help. Flaring tube was one of the earliest automotive projects I did, granted the first time was making an oil feed line for a turbo, so had to hold up to much lower pressures than the brake system, but it wasn't long before I was making brake lines too. I don't understand why people are afraid of it. Yes, if there is a leak in the steel line somewhere, all the exposed line should be replaced. Flare new fittings in the lines under the back seat, and then use unions to attach the new line. That's pretty easy on a 4-door EJ car, as they're both on one side by the door. The EA82s have each line go through the floor on each side (even though they come together at the proportioning valve under the car), and doing it in my XT6 with aftermarket sport seats sucked more than a little, but totally doable. I took a picture of the last one I did, this is on a '97 Legacy Wagon. There's a junction block under the car that was a solid block of rust. I bypassed that entirely, and ran new line up under the back seat. New M10x1.0 Inverted flare nuts, a pair of matching unions, and about 10 feet of NiCo 3/16"s line (I do it often enough that I buy it by the 25' roll). 2017-08-09_08-16-18 by Numbchux, on Flickr

For rear disc brakes, anyway, yea. They definitely wouldn't thread right into a wheel cylinder, although maybe an adapter of some sort exists. These are Centric/StopTech 95047501 rear lines (looked up for a 2002 Impreza) on my XT6. The included banjo bolt threads right in where the hose was, and seals on the face of the housing just like the hose did. I opted to route it behind the shock, and clip it into the bracket on the trailing arm. 2017-07-25_02-22-30 by Numbchux, on Flickr

Wha? Flares are easy with a half decent tool. Get the cut straight a deburred, and you almost can't screw it up. I have one of these that I bought for about $20 at Autozone. I highly recommend it, I've never screwed up a flare with it: Most bulk steel line that you would buy from the parts store is very mild steel. I would recommend the Nickel-Copper stuff, it's easier to work with, and will resist rust for much longer. I've done it on several Subarus, including my XT6 last fall.

That block-off in the rear bumper is for the rear fog light in other markets. I have seen write-ups where people have gotten the part from japan or the UK, and retrofitted them, but it's not as simple as one might think (to be wired correctly, they should be wired to a separate switch, which is not present). I've also seen a company that makes hidden hitches that utilize that same opening. That's pretty cool!

Here's some dimensions of the bed that would help a person fabricate a roll bar: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/131700-how-wide-is-a-gen2-brat-bed/?p=1121895

Even with the starter, there's a pretty good chance the valves were closed. It sounds like in it's current state of disassembly, it's not much extra work to pull the heads and check for damage. And a very good chance it survived.

Agreed, if it was turned over by hand, it's fine.

I'll admit, I've never tried it. But I know 100% that Subaru built a captive nut into the rear cargo floor of EA82 wagons, and included a hardware kit with the tool kit to bolt the full size tire down after you install the compact. I can't imagine anything oversized would really fit..... But, I'm ASSuming that we're talking about an oversized tire. I admit I clicked reply before I realized that it might be fairly close to stock sized. It also occurred to me that we don't know what vehicle he's talking about. He's listed a Brat in the signature. This is why I don't usually reply if I have to make ASSumptions.

Presumeably your current tires are bigger than stock. IMO, a suitably-sized spare (compared to the 4 tires on it), is probably too big to fit under the hood. There isn't even room for a full size stock tire under the hood, so they included a stud to bolt it down in the cargo area.

CV axles are definitely the same. Only '93-94 FWD MT Imprezas got the 23-spline axles I know there were several gear ratio changes, (not just axle ratio, but 1-4 as well) in those years. And that's all it takes to kick something out of a parts interchange (car-part, etc.) search. I see they list '90-'91 Legacy, '92 Legacy, '93-'94 Legacy, and '93-'95 Impreza as all being different for FWD, non-turbo ATs. So I'm not sure exactly, but I bet they'd still work just fine.

Parts add up fairly quick, and there are specialty tools required. Used transmissions are generally fairly easy to come by. As mentioned, Car-part.com is a fantastic tool. Or, keep your eye out for a rusted out and/or blown up manual transmission legacy/outback, and you'd have everything you need for a manual swap (and maybe some parts with value to sell off). It's not uncommon to see those for $3-500 up here...plus a clutch kit and maybe a few other little things.

100% (for '00-'04, anyway), from several sources. Subaru OEM parts catalogs (I use them for a living) being one of them. 2003 added the cold weather package as standard, so the only non-LSD '03-'04 Outbacks are VDC cars.

VDC cars do not have a rear LSD, either. As mentioned, it's designed to allow the VDC system to work effectively. FYI, H6 oil pressure switch is above the oil filter on the side of the upper oil pan.

I have seen it. '00 Impreza 2.5RS, 5MT. Components looked all in good shape (installed by PO, so unknown brand), belt guide present, and adjusted correctly. One cam (LH, IIRC, it's been awhile) off by 2 teeth. It sort of tried to run, but not really. New timing belt kit installed, timing reset, and that car ran great for several years.

Came here to replace the photobucket links, so I thought I'd give a small update. We're mostly just putting miles on it. Something about having a 50 year old house and 5 month old daughter slows down the exciting car projects. A couple weeks ago we took my ATV up to a buddy's family farm to do irresponsible things which will not be pictured on the internet. It was a hot day, and we loaded up the family, and the gear, set the climate control and the cruise control. I kept having to check the rear view mirror to see if the ATV was still there, couldn't feel it at all. 2017-07-21_04-11-32 by Numbchux, on Flickr

ASSuming "early '90s" is 1990-1994 and ASSuming you are planning to use the stock ECU and ASSuming you have all the connectors GD is pretty much right, those engines don't have much that they don't use. There's a couple emissions solenoids that wouldn't effect the way it runs, but would throw a check engine light. But it's so easy to just hook them up, just do it right. Everything is mounted to the engine except the MAF and ignitor.

Yes, the VDC cars have an actual differential in the center, and they also have clutch plates to actively limit any slippage. Interestingly, the owner's manual specifically says that if using the temporary spare, put the FWD fuse in for non-VDC cars, but no mention about what to do with a VDC car, so maybe it's fine.... Long story short, it might be just fine, but the cost of a tow vs the cost of a transmission (or even just clutch pack)....I'd have it towed in... FYI, "VDC" stands for Vehicle Dynamic Control, which is stability control. But the VDC cars come with VTD, which is Variable Torque Distribution, which refers to the different AWD.

Yep, 2014-2018 is all the same body style, and generally only had small changes.

I don't recall there being any adapter in any of my cars, just a normal lug wrench. Take a picture of the lug nuts, maybe you have some aftermarket lugs....

I've used the standard SPFI EA82 pump a couple times. Once I found an inline one listed for a Ford Grand Squire wagon that was cheap that worked fine. Really anything that's an inline style pump, supplies adequate pressure and volume for the EJ22 (which is relatively low for fuel injection), and has the right size fittings... Getting adequate voltage at the pump? That can definitely cause low pressure, and some pumps don't hold up well. Fuel pressure regulator? I've never put a gauge on a car with a failed regulator, but it can cause all kinds of weird running issues. Pull the vacuum line off it and see if there's gas in it.

It is crazy, but all do-able, given enough time and fabrication/engineering Almost any turbo Subaru engine is capable of 300 crank hp with a decent tune (this part is fairly crucial, no Subaru engine puts out quite that much in stock form, so it will need some modifications, albeit minor, and a good tune is pivotal in making the power and making it reliable). Yes, there are several "FWD" conversion kits for Subaru 5- and 6-speed transmissions. Several different styles in how they block off the back of the transmission. Some require cutting the center diff housing in half, and just have a round plug where the diff would go, this is a cleaner, smaller solution. But in order to simplify converting back to "AWD", I think you'd prefer one with a bolt-on plate that deletes the last output housing, and leaves the center diff housing in place. Depending on access to the transmission itself, this could be done pretty quickly (transmission does not need to be removed to replace the center diff). There are "RWD" conversion parts, that is basically just a solid chunk of steel with the appropriate splines to engage the transmission output, and the front and rear differential inputs. Or just get a spare center diff, and weld it solid... Strength-wise, at 300hp, I don't think you have too much to worry about. In AWD or FWD mode, even a 5-speed should be able to hold up to it as long as you're not abusing it. In RWD mode, the transfer gears (between the center diff and driveshaft slip yoke), are proven to be the weak link. But, since you're talking about having it drive a propellor, there wouldn't be shock loading or anything like that, and I'm betting you probably wouldn't be using full power, so it might be fine. Axles will depend on exactly what transmission you use and, more importantly, what knuckles you use. But suffice it to say, you have lots of options, and most will involve some custom/hybrid parts. I know when I was looking at 914 projects, there was a source for adapter flanges that slid over the older male-splines of the front differential, and allowed the stock porsche CVs to bolt to them. This would give you enormous options, and most of them would have greater travel than the Subaru options. Generally speaking, rear axles will not work on the front differential outputs.

The fluid should be up to the fill plug (higher one of the 2), well beyond the drain plug.

I'm saying it may not give you any symptoms that it's damaged. Pull the fill plug, and see if you can feel any fluid right there (I'm guessing you won't). Then drain it into a clean container, and see how much fluid is in it, and how nasty it looks. Grab the number off the transmission (by the starter, usually starts with TZ) and google it. There are several lists online of Subaru transmission codes, and most will tell you what rear diff they have. And start shopping around. The condition of the fluid and availability of a good used diff will be your deciding factors on how to proceed.

I had an r160 leak dry and seize on me. Zero notice. Driving perfectly smooth one moment, both back wheels locked up solid the next. Luckily I was carrying enough speed that I could coast/skid onto the shoulder before stopping, because it would not move under it's own power. You may have noticed I've capitalized a few letters in "ASSuming", since you didn't bother to tell us what vehicle you're asking about. Normally I don't even respond when I have to ASSume or guess.... But JDM r160 doesn't mean it's special, interesting, rare, or expensive. Might be a VLSD, but those aren't rare here either.

Yep, looks like the side seal has been leaking for some time. Replacing the seal isn't a terrible job, but I would say there's a high probability that thing has run dry and likely has some internal damage. ASSuming it's not an STi, good used one is probably cheap enough.